


Our Winter Child

by sumChick



Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Broken Pitch, Cute Jack, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Innocent Jack, Jack is everyone's child, M/M, Prompt Fic, Romance, Slow Build, Violence, brave Pookas, protective Pookas, protective pitch, victim Jack
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-22
Updated: 2016-05-02
Packaged: 2018-06-03 19:11:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6622807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sumChick/pseuds/sumChick
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is for a prompt -</p>
<p>Jack's life is saved by a reclusive group of Pookas living on earth. He is taken in by them under the condition that he keeps their existence a secret. They accept him as one of their own and eventually Pitch learns of their existence and regaining his sanity, begs for their forgiveness.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Cracked ice

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Zhuusox](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zhuusox/gifts).



> There was more to the prompt but I'll keep it under wraps for now, if you've read the comments on my other fics you'd find it however. Thanks again Zhuusox for sharing your idea with me. For anyone else with prompts - I'm afraid I won't be taking on any more stories until I finish some of the ones I'm working on, but after that feel free to swing them by me if you'd like to.
> 
> So this is for Zhuusox, hope you enjoy and I hope I'm doing it justice!

The ice cracked like glass as Jack’s face was repeatedly slammed into the cold, hard surface. He tried to push up, to fight back, but his staff had been lost somewhere during the attack and his attacker was much larger and stronger than he was. A combination of blood loss and a massive concussion skewed Jack’s thoughts and after another hard slam into the ice covering his lake, he stopped feeling pain. It was as relieving as it was frightening.

It was OK if he died like this. He’d saved a bunch of kids. They couldn’t see him but he drew the monster far enough away. These big muscly types weren’t all that bright so it probably wouldn’t be able to find its way back to the kids he’d led it away from. It’d probably spend hours toying with his body anyway, long enough for the kids to get tired and head home.

Jack rose from the lake ten years ago. He spent the first five completely invisible. No one could see him. No one could touch him. He’d been convinced that he’d been punished for something, only, he couldn’t remember what. Maybe this was the hell they talked about when he’d sat in on church gatherings. A unique kind of hell designed especially for him. He must have been a really horrible person.

Then five years ago Jack had been seen for the first time. It was both the best and worst day of his life to date. Well… except maybe today. He had been seen by a broken, shriveled woman-like thing, with long tangled hair and wicked fangs. It had been eating corpses. Child corpses. It had seen him, licked the blood off of its lips, and screamed. It came for him, he fought it off. Since then he realized very quickly that the only things that could see him wanted to kill him… or worse.

Most of them were things that preyed on children. So Jack made it his duty to prey on them instead. He had been getting pretty good at it too, until today. He’d saved quite a lot of lives during the last five years… The world around him was becoming nothing but white noise. If this was the end he could at least take comfort in that. He had saved a lot of children.

It started here… at his lake…

In a weird way he was glad it would end here. This is the only place that had ever felt close to… home.

It was the only place the moon had ever spoken to him.

It happened so quickly that Jack barely registered the transition. One second he was being pulverized the next he was still and the white noise faded out into complete silence.

He was turned from his stomach over onto his back with soft, warm hands. Were they in furred gloves? Or they could be paws… weirder things had happened, specially to him. There was a blurred shape over him, it was dark but was definitely larger than him. Not as large as the monster. 

The monster!

He tried to push the shape away, he managed to raise himself of a lopsided kind of crouch and tried to push the blur behind him. He wasn’t sure who it was and they seemed to be covered in fur but so far they hadn’t attacked him. He couldn’t let them get hurt. Not that he could do much without his staff.

Jack’s efforts to defend the creature are weak at best and it ignored his fumbling attempts at putting it behind him. It steadied him with its strong arms around his shoulders. This close Jack could make out more. It was a rabbit. A giant rabbit. If he had the energy, he would have laughed in its face. He’d heard of the Easter Bunny; could this be him?

“Hey, it’s ok, you’re alright. I got it, it won’t be hurting you again. Do you have any family? Or friends? Is there anywhere I can take you to get help?” A young Pookan buck asked the youngling softly. The deep red of his eyes shining with worry. He wasn’t sure how much the young creature understood but he had to try. It was injured pretty badly and seemed to be losing a lot of blood. Its face was a mass of angry red and purple bruises, the flesh around its eyes was swelling at an alarming rate. Judging by the damage it was a toss-up between whether it would die of blood loss or the head injury… it was really bad. The buck wasn’t even sure where the blood was coming from but judging from the purpling of its abdomen (it’s shirt was badly torn) there was likely internal bleeding as well. “I need to get you out of here. You need a doctor.” He spoke slowly, loudly and made sure to pronounce each word carefully.

It seemed to be trying to speak to him but Jack still couldn’t hear anything and his vision was swimming with black spots. He didn’t even know if he could still speak. He’d bitten his tongue at some point and it was swollen and painful, so was his mouth and jaw. He managed to feel with his painful tongue that he still had all his teeth. “I s’iiww haff aww mah ‘eeff!” (I still have all my teeth) Jack managed to mumble gleefully with a combination of blood and drool running down his chin before he passed out completely.

The Pooka blinked once before lifting the youngling gently into his arms, ignoring the blood smearing through his black fur. The little creature was so fragile… but the young buck had seen it lure that monstrous brute away from the younger children. He hadn’t been quite fast enough to join in the fight, for such a little thing the youngling was incredibly fast. It had fought valiantly, with the skill of one who knew battle. Strong and without fear. The Pooka couldn’t help but respect that immensely. Right now, however, the youngling needed help. With cautious steps the tall black buck held the youngling securely and made its way back to the settlement where there were others of its kind. Hopefully there it would be able to find help for the poor little thing. It would be a shame for such a brave youngling to perish, particularly after fighting so courageously. No youngling deserved to die, ever.

Most of his people may be gone but he would never let their values die. All younglings had a right to be protected, whether or not they were of his kind. Snowdrop Harestone flicked the snow out of his tall ears. He was tall, slim, with broad shoulders and he was a fit Pookan warrior. His curved daggers were strung across his back with a short sword strapped against his hip he cut an impressive figure. His coloring was mostly black with the exception of the tip of his left ear which was white, his namesake. Snowdrop’s eyes were a deep, piercing burgundy – an unusual coloring for his kind. His patterns were dark grey and almost blended in entirely with his fur, it was a strange pattern. A kind of egg like shape on his forehead with patterns feathering down the side of his face. He had plain bands around his upper arms and hints of the grey pattern on his back, but he’d never been able to figure out what it was. He was wearing a long, grey tunic which covered it up anyway.

He still shivered slightly in the cold, looking back down to the bundle in his arms. He curled himself as much as he could around his charge, praying to El-Ahrairah that the youngling would take his warmth. The little one was so unnaturally cold. 

“It’s alright. We’ll be there soon. I’ll find someone to help you, I promise.”


	2. Waking in strange places

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Snowdrop learns that the 'youngling' is in fact a fey creature of some kind. Jack wakes up in a strange new place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot to put on the first chapter that I don't own Rise of the Guardians, so... I don't own Rise of the Guardians. This is a fanfic :)

Snowdrop was not allowed to be seen by the local species. It was one of the rules his people had to live by. They hadn’t quite meant to end up on this planet and the Pooka had strict rules about interfering with pre-space flight civilizations. The humans were still in a colonial era, nowhere near the tolerant level they needed to be in order to accept an alien race on their planet. If the situation hadn’t literally been life or death, they wouldn’t have come here. 

Of course none of that helped the young scout now. Now he needed to try and find a way to give his charge over to someone so they could take care of the poor little thing. He also had to try and find a way to do this that wouldn’t leave his bundle out in the cold for too long. Winter was harsh this year and the youngling in his arms was already freezing. He saw a couple with children heading towards a house and as one of the little ones grabbed their parents’ attention to look at something on the side of the road, Snowdrop leapt out, placed his bundle gently on their doorstep and leapt back into the shadows. He settled in to watch. He had to make sure the child would be taken care of. If there was one lesson he had learned from observing the humans, it was that they had great propensity for cruelty. Even if some of them looked kindly they could be incredibly misleading, monsters hid among their kind easily.

Snowdrop would make sure the brave youngling was taken care of before he left. It was his responsibility.

He watched with bated breath as the family resumed their walk and headed to the doorstep where the rescued youngling rested. He wasn’t a terribly spiritual Pooka but he still found himself praying once more for the safety of the child. Snowdrop needed this family to hurry up, and he needed them to take care of the youngling. The little one was a fighter but his injuries were grave. Snowdrop didn’t even know if medicine had advanced enough with these people to be able to treat its injuries.

The family of four finally reached their doorstep and Snowdrop didn’t even dare to blink as they approached the little warrior. They didn’t even look down at the little bundle on their doorstep, they just walked on as though they didn’t see him. For a horrified second he thought they were just stepping on the youngling but then he noticed the ethereal blue glow. They were passing through him.

“Oh…” Snowdrop whispered under his breath. The youngling was a fey creature of some kind, not a physical being like the humans. He felt like a moron as he watched them pass through the little one and enter their home. Unknowingly he’d wasted precious time trying to get the young spirit help from the humans. Darting out he collected the youngling and darted back under cover. What was he supposed to do now?

It took him seconds to decide there was only one thing he could do, he had to take the little one back with him. They had a healer among them, hopefully she would be able to help the youngling before it was too late. Clutching the little one to his chest he took off for ‘home’ as fast as his Pookan legs could carry him.

As he ran he worried for his charge. It had been so long and the little one was so badly injured. 

The little one snuggled into Snowdrop’s warmth as it slept.

***

“I don’t know Bramble! I hope so… Rosemary said she’d done everything she could but…” A deep voice griped, clearly agitated.

“I’m sure it’s going to be fine. Calm down, take some deep breaths, relax a little. It’s not a normal human and whatever it is, it’s still alive. You won’t help it at all by losing your temper.” A softer voice, who Jack assumed was ‘Bramble’, reasoned calmly.

“I know that!” The deeper voice snapped.

Jack woke slowly, listening to the heated discussion of two male voices. Although the deeper one sounded faintly familiar… His mind was foggy and the voices were close but at the same time, very distant. It seemed like they were talking about him but at the same time Jack was sure that was impossible. No one cared about Jack Frost. No one could see him… except the monsters.

Monsters! His staff! Jack’s heartbeat suddenly skyrocketed and he was plunged violently into awareness. He rolled off of the bed he was laying in and tumbled onto the ground gracelessly. Landing in a lump of sheets Jack tried to detangle himself quickly and found it incredibly difficult. His arms felt tired, sore, and weren’t quite doing what he wanted them to. If anything he was making it worse. He was in a strange, oval shaped room with a lot of strange looking devices, cupboards, tables and quite a few bowl shaped beds, one of which he had just tumbled out of. Everything was white or a pale, creamy yellow. It looked very soft and inviting but… he couldn’t see a door. That alone sent alarm bells ringing in Jack’s mind.

“Hey, hey… easy. You’re alright. You’re safe. Do you remember me?” Jack looked up as a tall rabbit-like creature knelt down to him. Its long ears were tilted towards him and Jack couldn’t help but stare, wide eyed and wide mouthed at the strange new creature before him. A tall black bunny with dark red eyes. It looked soft and its face was calm… at least Jack thought it was calm. He wasn’t exactly an expert on rabbit expressions. The tip of its left ear was a startling white, breaking up the dark tone covering the rest of its body. “I saved you from a monstrous creature, I saw you lead it away from the young ones. I’m not going to hurt you.” It held out its paw. “You’re safe.” It repeated.

Jack looked down at the offered appendage and back up to the face of the rabbit it belonged to. He wanted so badly to trust this person, giant rabbit or no. No one had ever just… reached out to him… not like this. Not ever. As much as he wanted it, and he did want it so badly, he knew he shouldn’t trust it. The only other things that could see him wanted to hurt him. Now he’d been taken somewhere, by these new creatures, and he didn’t have any way to defend himself.

The giant bunny seemed to sense Jack’s inner turmoil, he didn’t withdraw his hand but he didn’t make another move either. He seemed to be willing to wait for Jack to make up his mind.

Jack, who was so busy fighting against his need for touch, almost forgot that there was another in the room.

A lighter colored bunny, who was slightly smaller than the black one, sneezed suddenly.

Jack startled, squeaking, before dashing away and hiding beneath a low table that was against the wall. Sheets and all. It was the furthest place from the two strange creatures and he’d been reacting without thinking. He couldn’t help it; he was _terrified_.

Snowdrop blinked as he was now holding his hand out to open air. Tilting his ears back he shot a glare at back at Bramble.

Bramble raised his chestnut brown paws in a placating gesture. “I’m sorry, but that,” He gestured at the little one’s hiding place under the alchemy table, “Was adorable.” Bramble was overall slimmer than Snowdrop and slightly shorter. His fur was mostly brown but his patterns were a light cream, a leaf on his forehead with matching leaves on his arms. His stomach and around his mouth were also the cream color of his patterns. He looked rather ordinary when compared to Snowdrops unique coloring, but then, so did most other Pooka.

Jack observed them from his shadowy new hidey hole. It was dark, cool, and he felt safer now that he had some cover. Logically he knew that hiding was not in any way a permanent solution but for now, it was the best he had. He wasn’t exactly thinking in terms of logic at the moment. It was fight or flight and without his staff, flight definitely felt like the better option. He rested on the balls of his feet and curled tightly into his sheet like a child hiding in his blankets.

Snowdrop let out a long breath when it became obvious that the youngling was not going to come out from under the alchemy table. “Alright, for now, I think you should leave. One of us might be less frightening than two of us and the little one is somewhat familiar with me.”

Bramble snorted. “Yeah, yeah. You just want the pretty little thing for yourself.”

“Bramble!”

“I’m leaving, I’m leaving.”

Jack watched Bramble leave, as he walked up to a certain part of the wall it just… opened! The wall itself seemed to part into an egg shape and then close back to a wall when Bramble stepped to the other side. Jack was so busy being boggled by the magical wall that he didn’t notice that the other bunny had moved closer to him.

Snowdrop noticed immediately the way the youngling perked up to watch Bramble leave. It wanted to escape, it thought it was in danger. It broke Snowdrop’s heart a little to see how jaded the child was. It shouldn’t be that way, younglings were meant to be loved and cared for. World weariness was a pain for those old enough to understand it, not for those young enough they should still be hiding behind their mothers. How long had this little one been on its own?

“Don’t worry.” Snowdrop spoke softly but the little one still startled violently, hitting itself on the underside of the table. “We’re not going to trap you here. I just want to make sure you’re healed before you leave. Trust me, please, I will never hurt you. You’re safe.” He wasn’t even sure the fey child could understand him, but he had to keep trying. This was a language he had picked up from the humans in the area. Of course, another thing that made humans incredibly difficult, they spoke a variety of different languages and generally individuals would only speak one or two. Just another little oddity of this planet.

Jack understood perfectly, the rabbits were speaking English. He was just frightened. His mind was running through scenario after scenario, trying to plan a way out of this place so he could go and retrieve his staff. Without knowing the layout of the rest of this place, or how the wall-doors worked, he couldn’t just plan a way out of here. He’d have to do it on the move. It would be risky but he wasn’t sure he had any other options. These creatures could be as friendly as they liked but Jack _needed_ his staff.

“Can you understand me? Can you speak? Please talk to me little one, I can’t help you if you don’t tell me how. I want you to trust me, please give me a chance to earn that trust.”

Jack peeked out from his hiding place, the dark rabbit was sitting a little bit away, not leaning down or anything to stare at Jack. He was just sitting on the ground, close by but not alarmingly close.

“What’s your name?” Jack spoke quietly. He saw the rabbit’s back straighten slightly, perhaps he was surprised, before relaxing.

“Snowdrop Harestone. Snowdrop is the name I am addressed by and Harestone is my clan name.” The little one spoke! And it spoke the same language! This was progress. “Can you… tell me _your_ name?”

There was silence for a moment as Jack gathered his thoughts, Snowdrop worried that maybe he had said something wrong.

“Snowdrop…” Jack tested the name. “Snow. I like that better, can I call you Snow?”

Snowdrop smiled. It didn’t want to share its name yet but that was fine. Any progress was good progress. “Snow, huh, simple but I like it. Yes, you can call me ‘Snow’.”

“I need my staff Snow. I can’t fight back without it; I feel helpless here. You want me to trust you? Give me back my staff.” Jack spoke quietly but with confidence. If this rabbit wanted his trust, then there was only one way to get it.

Snowdrop’s brow furrowed. “Staff?” He thought for a moment. “Oh! I saw you fighting with it but you must have lost it at some point because it wasn’t with you when I found you.” He tilted his ears curiously. “It must be back at the lake somewhere.” It sounded important. Snowdrop knew little of the fey but it was a common fact that some of them were bound to items. The little fey must be bound to this ‘staff’ and without it… the little one must be feeling awful. It wasn’t his fault but Snowdrop still felt a little guilty that he’d left the staff behind.

Jack’s hope fell. No… his staff… it wasn’t here…

“I can go and get it for you, if you’d like. Maybe you should come with me? I don’t know if I could recognize it on my own.” Not entirely true but Snowdrop was sure El’Ahrairah would forgive him a white lie in this case.

Jack remained silent for a long time and once more Snowdrop worried that he’d said something wrong.

“Alright, let’s go together. My name’s Jack.”


	3. Jack's lake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack and Snowdrop look for the staff and run into a tall, grey man.

After a few minutes of trying not to gawk at Snowdrop’s home while they were leaving (everything was round and shiny and there were odd lights everywhere without any flames!) they made it out of the ‘ship’ and headed to the forest around the lake. As it turns out the ‘ship’ was relatively close to the lake. Why he called his home a ‘ship’ was beyond Jack, the closest body of water was his lake and it wasn’t big enough to hold an entire ship! Snowdrop’s home didn’t even have a mast or sails; it didn’t really look sea-worthy at all!

Jack pushed the thoughts of Snowdrop’s strange home out of his mind and focused on the task at hand. His staff. To Snowdrop’s horror Jack pranced out to the middle of the frozen lake without a care in the world.

“Jack! What are you doing?! The ice could crack!” He called worriedly at the edge of the lake. He was too afraid to put his weight on it as well. It was now the following afternoon after the attack. The sun had been hot all day and the ice was thinner than it was yesterday evening when he’d rescued Jack.

Jack barely spared Snowdrop a glance as he waved him off absently while staring down at the ice beneath his feet. Even without his staff he could prevent the ice from cracking, he was also naturally lighter than he should be. He figured it had something to do with what he was and that it was also how the wind could carry him so easily. He was looking for something specific. Jack literally jumped for joy when he found it.

Snowdrop nearly had a heart attack.

“I found it!” Jack crowed happily.

“Your staff?” Snowdrop called from his safe vantage point on the shore of the lake. He was eyeing the ice and dreading the temperature of the water because if Jack fell in then he was going in after him. It would be unpleasant but it probably wouldn’t kill him… he hoped.

“No, the cracks in the ice where I was beaten last night!” Jack did a little back flip and settled down to study the cracks. He remembered! It was right as he was slammed into the ice initially that his staff had been lost. It had flown from his hands and skittered across the ice. He traced the cracks with his fingers while remembering the attack. He took in a shuddering breath and clutched his ragged cloak around himself. It was alright, he didn’t die. All he needed to do was find his staff and it would be alright. He would be alright.

He tried to remember which direction the staff had flown but his memories where incomplete. He lay down on the ice, resting his head in the little depression the cracks had created. This was the same angle he’d been in last night, after shifting slightly he noticed the trees at the edge of the lake that he’d seen as he’d been slammed into the ice. He was facing the right way. Now… his staff… It took him a moment but he could recall the sound the staff made as it clattered across the ice and finally he remembered. He jumped up again with a little crow of happiness.

“Please, please stop doing that.” Snowdrop called out from the edge of the lake after watching Jack jump on the ice for a third time. This youngling was going to be the death of him, he just knew it. It was bad enough he traipsed around in the snow without and footwear or fur.

“I remember! It was thrown that way! Can you go around the lake to make sure it’s not in the bushes? I’ll head over there from here.” Jack continued to ignore Snowdrop’s worry over him being on the ice. Even if he fell in it wouldn’t hurt him. It wouldn’t even feel cold. He took off without waiting for his companion.

“Wait!” Snowdrop called, but he was too late. Jack had already gone. He tugged on one of his ears in frustration before following along the edge of the lake. He could run and join up with Jack in seconds but he slowed down to look for the staff. It was important to Jack and that’s why he was doing this. Jack’s blatant disregard for his own safety was not concerning at all, nope, not in the least. Snowdrop let out a little growl while grumbling under his breath about ‘overconfident younglings’. It wasn’t like Jack was defenseless without his staff or anything like that.

Jack was completely oblivious to the frustration he was causing his companion. He darted into the trees around the lake looking for his staff. It had to be here somewhere, it had to! While he was searching he didn’t realize the shadows around him begin to darken. It was late in the afternoon but around Jack it was becoming almost as dark as night. So busy was his searching that he didn’t notice until a calm voice spoke behind him.

“Looking for something?” A calm British voice spoke softly.

Jack jumped up and turned around, he raised his arms defensively but without his staff he knew that it was actually pointless. He just hoped the newcomer didn’t realize that.

Before him stood a person he had never seen before. He was tall. His skin was a deep, ashen grey and his eyes shone gunmetal but when they caught the light they flashed golden. His black hair was slicked back and his clothes were darker than night. His teeth were pointed and clearly visible as he smiled at Jack like a predator eyeing its prey. He was tall and thin but his shoulders were oddly broad, Jack knew that he could not underestimate this man. Fear seemed to radiate off him in waves, infecting Jack and making him even more afraid. In his ashen hands he held Jack’s staff. The lines of the wood that were usually filled with ice were now filled with shadows. His angular face was tilted down to look at Jack almost hungrily.

The dark man breathed in deeply and let out a satisfied sigh. “Oh yes, your fear is quite delicious. You really want this back, don’t you?” He held the staff up, taunting Jack who was too frightened to move forward to try and grab it. He was powerless and the dark man seemed to know it.

Jack lowered his hands. He couldn’t fight like this. “Please, can I have my staff back? I don’t want any trouble.”

To this the dark man chuckled. “Of course you don’t, in fact, neither do I. So we should keep this simple, shouldn’t we?” He took a step forward.

Jack took a few steps back until his back hit a tree. His mind was racing. He needed his staff, he needed to get away… he found himself oddly stuck between two things he was sure was impossible without his staff. Jack looked for anything to help him… having been on his own for so long he didn’t even think of calling Snowdrop for help.

Luckily for him, Snowdrop did not need to be called.

A rustling of the bushes was the only precursor to the sudden black furred fury that leapt out and placed itself between Jack and the threat. Snowdrop drew his short sword and held the blade up high. It shone brightly, the shadows around them lightened but didn’t dissipate entirely.

Drawing one of his curved daggers with his left hand he positioned himself defensively in front of Jack and faced the newcomer with the darkened skin. Snowdrop let out a low warning growl as he eyed the threat before him.

The grey man lowered the staff and raised his brow at the creature in front of him. “You shouldn’t be here.” He sounded… confused.

Snowdrop tilted his ears curiously and lowered his blades slightly. “General Pitchiner?... You… survived?” He seemed to be as lost as the grey man.

Jack was watching the dark man intently as Snowdrop was speaking, at the mention of the name a great sadness seemed to wash through him for a moment before he drew himself up with a sneer.

“No. I am the Nightmare King!” The man hissed at them before disappearing into the shadows. Jack’s staff clattered to the ground and the shadows around them lightened to normal levels.

Snowdrop sheathed his weapons but his ears kept flicking around and his nose was twitching as he scented the air. He was tense and still on guard.

Jack looked at his back for a moment before looking back to his staff back on the ground. Snowdrop was standing between him and his staff. It made Jack nervous. He didn’t know Snowdrop that well. He didn’t trust that he was helping Jack without any ulterior motives. The grey man had further proven that those who could see him were not to be trusted. Snowdrop crouched low to the ground to check something and seeing his opportunity Jack sprang forward.

He darted forward and with a hand on Snowdrop’s shoulder he acrobatically launched himself over the giant rabbit. He tucked himself into a roll and picked up his staff on the way, using the momentum to propel him back up to his feet. He held his staff out in front of him and turned to face Snowdrop. Frost curled over his staff and over his clothes. He finally felt whole again.

Snowdrop was surprised for a moment before he raised his hands and rose to his feet. “It’s alright Jack. You’re safe.”

It was a little infuriating to have someone telling him how safe he was when he had his staff pointed at their chest. Still, Snowdrop’s body language didn’t appear to be aggressive. Jack thought over the past few hours and what little he could remember of last night. A dark shape had saved him from the brute… It had to have been Snowdrop. Snowdrop had helped him find his staff when he would have been helpless without it. Snowdrop had taken Jack into his home to treat his injuries. Jack slowly lowered his staff with a frown.

Snowdrop took a step forward.

“Stop.” Jack raised his staff again quickly and shot off a stream of ice that froze the tree behind him. Snowdrop stopped and eyed the ice interestedly. “Thank you. For helping. But I think I should head back to the lake.”

Snowdrop lowered his hands. “You still don’t trust me?”

Jack didn’t want to offend him but he didn’t want to lie either so he chose to say nothing.

Sighing the black rabbit shrugged, his white tipped ear flicked slightly. “It’s alright. I hope to gain your trust eventually. You live at the lake? May I see you again?”

Jack thought about it for a moment, “Only if it’s you. Alone.” Jack didn’t want to risk being ambushed.

“Alright, but if I might ask, are you bound to the lake in some way? Is that why you live there?”

“No.”

“Then why?”

Jack sighed and looked up at the quickly darkening sky where the moon was beginning to show. “Because it’s the only place where the moon has ever spoken to me.”

Surprised, Snowdrop looked up at the sky. So one of the Lunanoffs had survived too? What were the odds that they would all converge here on earth? “He speaks to you?” Snowdrop whispered, awed.

“Only once.”


End file.
